Spicy date and ginger bread

Not so long ago I wouldn’t have believed you could make a loaf of bread entirely out of nuts and seeds. Yet here I am, creating this date and ginger nut loaf that is so full of flavour and so nutrient-rich that a single small slice will power your body for hours. I have many more potential flavour combinations in mind so watch this space!

You can never have too many dates in your bread!

I love this bread - it’s delicious, decadent and dense in a slightly fudgy way. It just so happens to also be gluten free, refined sugar free, vegan and paleo friendly, and otherwise oh so good for you – how great is that!

Ground flax and chia seeds

You might like to experiment with adding sugar to the dough – coconut palm sugar would be fantastic – but I love the way the flavour of the date bursts out of the spicy bread without competing for sweetness. If there’s not enough nuts in there for you, roughly chopped walnuts would also make a delicious addition.

Date and ginger nut loaf

Using your blender, grind ½ cup flax seed and ½ cup chia seed into a powder (see note). Put the powder in a small bowl, add ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice and ½ cup almond milk, stir well to combine and set aside for several minutes.

In large bowl combine 1 cup almond flour, ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg, ½ tsp cinnamon, 2-3cm finely grated ginger, and 1 cup of dates, roughly chopped by or pulsed in the blender to produce a mix of big and small chunks.

Add the wet seed mix and combine to form a stiff dough. Put in a loaf tin and mould to a nice oval shape. The bread won’t rise or fill the loaf tin so take the time to shape it nicely. Cut four shallow grooves diagonally across the top of the loaf.

Nutmeg - best freshly grated

Bake in a preheated 180 degree Celsius oven for 45 minutes, although it may need up to an hour as it is so dense. It can be eaten almost straight from the oven, or store it in the fridge and slice, toast under the grill and slather it in something yummy.

Note: The blender gave the best results, after I experimented with food processors large and small, plus the old-fashioned mortar and pestle, without successfully grinding the seeds. A coffee or spice grinder would also work.